Broken Antlers? A Little White Glue Can Work Wonders!
One bad fall, one unfortunate impact, and suddenly a magnificent hunting trophy is in pieces. But a broken antler beam or a fractured skull doesn't necessarily mean the end of the story. Schuss & Stille master taxidermist Eric Leitner demonstrates how even serious damage can be repaired with surprisingly simple tools and materials.
The stag is down, and the hunter couldn't be happier. But then disaster strikes. The heavy animal tumbles over a rocky ledge, hits a boulder, and suddenly an antler beam snaps. What was a magnificent trophy just moments earlier is now lying on the ground in several pieces. In steep mountain country, such a fall can cause devastating damage to both antlers and skull.
Damage can also occur during recovery, transportation, or skull cleaning. Part of an eye socket breaks away, a section of nasal bone comes loose, or one of the delicate bone connections fractures.
So what now? Throw the trophy away? Not a chance! What looks like a complete disaster to a hunter is often just another repair job for an experienced taxidermist.
One Screw Can Save an Entire Antler
Master taxidermist Eric Leitner, from Kreuzen near Paternion in the Austrian state of Carinthia, has seen just about everything during his decades in the taxidermy business. At his workshop, he shows Schuss & Stille how even a severely broken antler beam can be brought back together.
The secret isn't just the adhesive. It's creating a strong mechanical connection between the two broken sections. First, the pieces must fit together as precisely as possible. The more damaged the fracture surfaces, the more difficult the repair becomes. That's why hunters should always collect and carefully preserve every broken fragment they can find.
Then Leitner reaches for his drill. A sturdy screw is inserted into a sufficiently thick section of the antler. A corresponding hole is drilled into the opposing broken piece. The screw acts as an internal reinforcement, providing the structural strength needed to hold the antler together. Next comes a two-part epoxy adhesive. It bonds the pieces permanently while filling small gaps and irregularities. The key is making sure the antler beam is positioned exactly as it was before the break.
While the epoxy cures, cable ties or another suitable clamping method keep both sections firmly aligned. The repair should not be put under stress until the adhesive has fully cured.
However, thinner antler tips and awkward fracture locations require a much more delicate approach. Not every antler provides enough material for a screw, and careless drilling can cause further damage. Done properly, the result is a strong, lasting repair that can be almost impossible to spot at first glance.
Broken Skull Bones? Put Down the Super Glue!
Heavy antler beams require mechanical reinforcement. But repairing a damaged skull is an entirely different game. The thin bones surrounding the eye sockets and nasal passages are particularly fragile. When a red stag or roe buck tumbles down a steep hillside, these delicate structures can easily fracture. Sometimes small bone fragments don't even come loose until the skull is being prepared.
And this is where Eric Leitner has a surprisingly simple piece of advice: "Just use ordinary white glue." You read that right! No super glue. No expensive specialty adhesive. No complicated procedure. For smaller, non-load-bearing bone fragments, Leitner relies on ordinary white PVA glue. It's easy to apply in small amounts and, depending on the product, dries white or nearly transparent. That makes the repaired seams relatively inconspicuous against a properly whitened skull. Sometimes the simplest solution really is the best.
Clean It First, Glue It Later!
When it comes to skull restoration, the order of operations matters. First, the skull must be properly cleaned by gently simmering it to remove any remaining tissue. A careful hydrogen peroxide treatment then gives the bone its characteristic clean, white appearance.
Only after the pieces are clean and sufficiently dry should the actual repair begin. The broken edges are carefully realigned and joined using a small amount of white glue. If necessary, tape or other light supports can hold the fragments in position until the adhesive has cured. The golden rule? Less is more. Excess glue squeezing out of the joint, poorly aligned fragments, or too much pressure can ruin an otherwise clean repair.
For larger missing sections, a badly shattered skull, or heavy antler beams, ordinary white glue simply isn't strong enough. In those cases, an experienced taxidermist must determine whether additional reinforcement or a more extensive reconstruction is needed.
A Trophy Is More Than Just Bone
For Eric Leitner, working with hunting trophies is about much more than technical craftsmanship. For decades, he has studied wildlife, animal anatomy, and the art of preserving trophies as naturally and faithfully as possible. And not every trophy has to look perfect. What matters most is preserving its original character.
Because every set of antlers tells a story. A crisp morning in the mountains. An unforgettable encounter. A challenging stalk. A moment that will stay with a hunter for the rest of his life. Even a fall down a rocky slope or a broken piece of bone can become part of that story. And that's exactly why taking the time to restore a damaged trophy is worth the effort.
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